The Week Unwrapped: Irish alcohol, world weather and British schools
Why is Ireland putting health warnings on drinks? Will a fall in deaths from extreme weather continue? And how should universities judge school leavers?
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Abdulwahab Tahhan, Holden Frith and Felicity Capon.
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Alcohol labelling
The Irish government has said it will force alcohol companies to add health warnings to their products from 2026, in an attempt to reduce alcohol-related deaths in the country. According to official statistics, one in 20 deaths in the country is the result of excess alcohol consumption. The proposals, which include graphic warnings that link drinking to cancer and other diseases, have led to a backlash in Italy and France, which have called on the EU to block them.
Extreme weather
A report published by the World Meteorological Organisation on Monday revealed that the number of people dying as a result of extreme weather has fallen dramatically over the past 50 years – despite the frequency of floods, storms and other extreme weather events rising by a factor of five over the same period. Why are we better at surviving these disasters, and will the trend continue despite climate change?
University admissions
According to a report this week, private school students are 30% more likely to get into Oxford or Cambridge if they switch to a state-funded school for their A-levels. The figures led to protests from groups representing private schools, who say their students now face unjustified discrimination. But are the country’s top universities simply correcting for inequalities embedded in the education system?
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Ghost tankers, loyalty cards and contempt
Podcast Should we be worried about illicit oil tankers? What are the limits to protests outside court? And are supermarket loyalty schemes all they seem?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Pint pricing, climate wisdom and centrism
Podcast Should pubs charge more at peak times? What can Indigenous cultures teach the West about climate change? And are we disagreeing too agreeably?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: National service, Bahrain and Roman Polanski
podcast Should we all serve country and community? Can Bahrain and Israel be allies? And has history finally caught up with a legendary director?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Marriage, Iron Man energy and medical laughter
podcast Why is China offering marriage ‘rewards’? Can a metal disc improve sporting ability? And is laughter really the best medicine?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Trans chess, goalkeepers and twitching
podcast Why is women’s chess bringing in a trans ban? Why was Nike so reluctant to sell Mary Earps’s shirt?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Age barriers, women’s drinking and edgy books
podcast Is automation ageist? Why are women drinking more? And are some subjects off-limits for children’s books?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: A new human, ME and date-stacking
podcast Does Homo sapiens have a new cousin? Are people with ME about to get better treatment? And is three dates in one day too many?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Bank warning, allergies and talking to strangers
podcast Will life get easier for savers? Why are allergies rising? And should we talk to more people we don’t know?
By The Week Staff Published